Enough is Enough - Tenants find an advocate in BASTA
New Angeles Monthly 4/08
Fighting for tenants' rights
University of Southern California 3/7/08
CLASS ACTION / MULTI-PARTY LITIGATION
Arellano, et al. v. Koltai, et al., LASC case no. BC347852
Represented tenants from a small apartment building in Silverlake made untenantable by fire a couple of days before Christmas 2005. The property was exempt from any rent control laws. BASTA obtained certification of a limited class, and, after nine months, settled the case at mediation for the tenants’ statutorily required relocation fees totaling approximately $193,500. Resolved in 2006.
CASE NAME: Confidential
Establishing a new “line in the sand” in the battle against gentrification, BASTA represented approximately 37 tenants in a building south of Washington Avenue near Downtown Los Angeles for substantial breaches of habitability and various violations of the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance. The City of Los Angeles Attorney’s Office proceeded with a parallel criminal prosecution of the landlord. Within 12 months, the case settled for approximately $415,000 after BASTA successfully opposed the landlord’s demurrer. BASTA neither undertook nor defended a single deposition. BASTA did not propound or respond to any written discovery. Resolved in 2007.
CASE NAME: Confidential
Represented the residents of eight apartments in an apartment complex undergoing a condominium conversion north of Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood area. The property was not rent controlled. Within five months, the case settled for $162,000 after BASTA obtained an OSC re Preliminary Injunction to cease all construction activities. BASTA neither undertook nor defended a single deposition. BASTA did not propound or respond to any written discovery. Resolved in 2007.
CASE NAME: Confidential
Battling all the way on the border of East Los Angeles, BASTA represented the residents of six apartments suing their landlord for substantial breaches of habitability and various violations of the Los Angeles Rent Control Ordinance. In approximately one year, the case settled for approximately $130,000 mid-way through the owner’s deposition. Resolved in 2007.
CASE NAME: In Process
Continuing the fight against substandard housing south of Washington Avenue near Downtown Los Angeles, BASTA represented the majority of tenants in a substandard building along San Pedro and forced the owner to make repairs under the supervision of the City of Los Angeles Housing Department and the Department of Building and Safety (as opposed to the non-permitted and hazardous “repairs” being undertaken before BASTA’s involvement). In six months, and after three depositions, BASTA settled the litigation for approximately $400,000. Resolved in 2008.
BASTA Announces Settlement of Arellano v. Koltai,
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Case No. BC347852
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 -- "Plaintiffs' attorneys Daniel J. Bramzon and Albert Robles of BASTA, a Los Angeles based public benefit corporation specializing in tenants' rights, has announced the settlement of a class action on behalf of a group of tenants who resided at the Vendome Apartment building located at 975 North Vendome Street in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit was filed after a December 2005 fire rendered the building uninhabitable and forced the tenants to relocate. The settlement, which was recently approved on a preliminary basis by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, provides for the payment of relocation expenses and the reimbursement of the security deposits and rent credits to qualified tenants.
Daniel J. Bramzon and Albert Robles, co-counsel for plaintiffs, were pleased with the settlement and declared in a joint statement: "This is an excellent result for our clients (the tenants) in a case that has some difficult and novel legal issues." Doug Mastroianni of Peter L. Weinberger & Associates, a Professional Corporation, counsel for one of the defendants in the case agreed: "This is a 'win-win.' BASTA worked with us to come up with a creative and just settlement that benefits everyone and avoids further protracted litigation."
If you would like further information about the settlement, you can contact BASTA at (213) 736-5050, or defense counsel D1qzoug Mastroianni at (310) 231-6452.
BASTA, Inc. is a California public benefit corporation specializing in tenants' rights headquartered in Los Angeles and with a satellite office in Lancaster. The organization has three legal divisions: eviction defense, limited jurisdiction lawsuits, and complex litigation/class action.
Since its inception in 2005, BASTA has obtained nearly $1,000,000 of its clients.
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